"Hey... can you-" Liam was nervous, this much Theo could tell. "Can you... get in here wi- with me?"

"Liam... I don't think-"

"Theo... I trust you..." Liam's eyes, more blue than anything Theo had ever seen, were staring at Theo. More accurately, staring into Theo. Into his soul. He couldn't say no to those eyes.

"I'll leave my boxers on..." He said never taking his eyes off of Liam and Liam nodded.

Still not taking his eyes off of Liam he slowly, or at least it felt like time was starting to move slowly in that moment, started taking off his shirt from where he stood. Liam never took his eyes off Theo and when Theo was finally shirtless, Liam gasped. He had seen Theo shirtless before, but this time he had scratches and bruises and blood and... he seemed to be in worse condition than Liam...

"Theo..." Liam breathed out in a hushed whisper. He reached up to feel the scratches and see how deep they were. He couldn't help himself from. His hands limbs were moving without the approval of his senses. He ran his fingers up and down Theo's arms and his sides and Theo let him. He waited to take his pants off until Liam's curiosity was completely satisfied.

"It's ok Liam" Theo assured him. "I'm ok."

"You- there's no way. You need to see a doctor-"

"Liam. I have done this so many times. I just wash it really well and put some peroxide on it. I usually heals after a week or two" Theo said taking his pants off. When he did this, he turned around to put his clothes in the laundry basket on the other side of the room and that was when Liam saw Theo's back. There was dried blood and bruises and bite marks that cut the skin all over his back and his sides leading up to Theo's neck. Liam could see it now because Theo had gotten closer to the light.

"Theo... Oh my God..." Liam was on the verge of tears.

"Liam. No. Shh. It's ok. I'm ok" Theo rushed over to Liam in the tub and grabbed his face and made him look Theo in the eyes to show him he was serious. That he meant it when he said he was ok. It didn't stop Liam from crying.

"This is all my fault" Liam wailed. He was an idiot. He should have never trusted Brett. He never should have felt sorry from him. He should have just... literally talked to a stranger on craigslist before he talked to Brett about anything. Was he jealous? A little. But was that a reason to trust a literal rapist?! Absolutely the fuck not! What point would that prove?

So he cried. He cried so hard for so long that he felt sick. It didn't matter that Theo told him it wasn't his fault and that it was Theo's and that it was really Brett's for being the dick-bag that he was. It didn't matter because Liam felt like he should have had better judgement.

Theo didn't get in the tub with Liam. Instead he pulled Liam out. He pulled Liam onto the towel that was on the floor, and he pulled Liam close to his body as Liam cried until he was in physical pain. Until he was dry heaving. Liam could have thrown up on Theo and it wouldn't have mattered because Liam was in need of consolation and this time Theo would be there.

When Liam cried all the tears he was capable of crying and officially was dehydrated and sore from crying, Theo moved him from the bathroom and into Theo's adjoining bedroom. He sat Liam down on the bed and wrapped him down in the soft and warm blanket that had been set out. Theo knew Liam would want to be warm after what happened. It was something that Theo was no stranger to. He kept blankets handy because he would want to be wrapped up so that he didn't feel as alone as he really was...

"I can put clothes on. I'm not dry" Liam said in protest. He didn't want to be on Theo's bed wet.

"I'm soaked too. I'm not worried about it. It'll dry."

Liam looked at Theo up and down and decided to lay down. He was nude and Theo was in his underwear which were soaked due to Liam practically sitting in his lap. Theo draped a towel over him but Liam just wanted to be close to him. He wanted to be enveloped in him. He wished this was how his first time had gone. Candles. Bubble bath. Wine... Theo...

Even if it had been Brett...

He just wished it would have been less... real... less drama...

He could handle the fact that Brett wasn't in love with him. He wasn't exactly falling for him either. He just wanted it to be with someone he trusted...

Joke's on him he guessed...

"What do you mean there's nothing more? What did you do Brett?" Josh asked from his spot in the room. Why had he agreed to this? Brett and Donovan were dicks this whole time and they pretty much just bossed him around like he was a child. It honestly made their claim harder and harder to believe. Especially the more he hung out with Theo.

"I took the final step. That kid he's with. I ruined him. Theo won't wanna be with him and he wont wanna be with Theo" Brett said with a smirk.

Josh felt like there was more. Ruined him? "What do you mean, Brett?"

Brett and Donovan shared a look, then Brett turned away to grab a cigarette and a wad of cash. He shoved the cash into Josh's chest and then lit his cigarette. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Joshy boy. Your job here is done" he said as he swept Josh's hair from his face and then trailed fingers down his face, cupping the man's chin.

Josh took his money and his leave. He texted Theo to see if he was ok.

Hey

You ok?

You left in the middle of the night -J

Uh yeah. I'm good. Just taking care of a friend. Emergency -T

Emergency?

Is he ok? Is there anything I can do to help? Are you guys in the hospital? -J

I hope Brett didn't send that kid to the hospital. That wasn't part of the plan.

Josh had no idea what he was signing up for when he met Brett and Donovan. Just that they were friends and they had a mutual ex. Theo. Who apparently was a prostitute and he had put both of the guys in jail as a result of their breakup. Brett said Theo claimed he was sexually assaulted, but that his friends assumed that just because they were into rough sex and Theo told them they had an argument.

Donovan said virtually the same thing except that the way he met Theo was through his after- hours job. He said that he and Theo got into an argument and they were both throwing things and the neighbors called the sheriff, but the sheriff took pity on Theo. He even denied what Donovan said about Theo being a sex-worker. To Josh, that was a lot of scummy bullshit and of course he was up for bringing this creep Theo down. He was no position to turn down the money they were offering either.

He didn't have a job and he was homeless. He was new in town and he didn't have anywhere to go. Josh's ex, Garrett, had kicked (literally) him out in the middle of the night and he moved to Beacon Hills because it was far enough away that he felt he wouldn't be found. He wanted Beacon Hills to be a safe haven for himself and when he heard this story about Theo, it triggered something inside him.

However...

The more he got to know Theo, the less he was convinced that Donovan and Brett were telling the truth. He met Liam, mostly because they wanted him to. They wanted to make Liam jealous and make Liam trust Brett. He didn't get it. He didn't understand what this had to do with the stuff they went through, but they assured him that he would eventually do it to Liam or to Josh himself. He'd finally got the nerve to say he'd had enough and by then he wasn't needed. Now, whatever happened to Liam, Josh was responsible for.

His phone buzzed bringing Josh out of his thoughts.

No we're at my place. There's not much anyone can do about what happened

He'll have to heal in his own time

Thank you tho -T

What the FUCK?!

What happened?

If you don't mind me asking -J

It's complicated

But...

He got too close to somebody

Somebody I never should have let near him...

He was raped... -T

Josh couldn't breathe. I ruined him. That's what Brett meant. He raped him.

He called Brett immediately.

"YOU RAPED HIM?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"